In the Chemical Industry in general and in the Pharmaceutical Industry in particular it is frequently desired to collect a large number of fractions of liquid from a chromatographic column. It is known to do this automatically. Heretofore, automatic fraction collectors for liter sized collection vessels have employed a discharge nozzle which is moved in a circular path requiring a generally circular disposition of the collection funnels which supply the collection vessels through tubes. This arrangement places severe practical restrictions on the number of containers employed to receive the liquid fractions and the devices lack desired mobility.
Automatic fraction collectors using test tube size collection containers are known to the art and are generally of two types. One type uses a fixed delivery tube and a shifting platform to move test tubes in racks into position under the delivery tube. The other type employs a rotary turntable with multiple collection containers and a delivery tube automatically positioned over successive rings.
In accordance with this invention an improved liquid fraction collector is provided which can provide for the use of a greatly enlarged number of liter sized collection containers in the normal space situation. It avoids the complexity and waste of space inherent in the circular and moving platform type devices and is very mobile.